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Group of Pakistani (Ahmadia) Refugees suffer in Thailand

According to recent report from Bangkok, capital of Thailand, Ahmadis who fled to Thailand from Pakistan in January were detained by the immigration authorities of Thailand in January, have not got asylum yet. These Ahmedis fled from Pakistan to avoid religious persecution there. Pakistan, home of four million Ahmedis, declared them non-muslims in 1974 by an act of parliamment. The reason behind parliamnets’ act was the perception of majority to consider them heretics because they revere another prophet as well as the prophet Muhammad. In May last year, one gun man stormed two Ahmedi mosques in Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city and killed more than 90 people caught in the gunfire and grenade attacks. BBC reported that three suicide bomber later blew themselves up while twos’ attempt was foiled and they were captured. Details:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10190389

Picture by Inkishaf. Pakistan

Dr. Iftikhar, their representtive in Bangkok told the media that they had to leave Pakistan because the level of threat against them have reached to high level. Accoridng to him, hundreds of Ahmadis have been murdered in Pakistan just because of their faith. They had to flee because posters were pasted on walls saying ‘Ahmadisdeserve to be killed.’ Such poster always incite public hatred agaisnt them. A number of laws havee been passed that make it a criminal offence for Ahmadis to profess, practice and preach their faith in Pakistan. These laws have made it a crime for members of Ahmadis community to refer to their places of worship as mosque and even bar them from extending the common muslim greetings in arabic-called Assalm-a-alaikum Ahmadi sources reported.

These Ahmadis have arrived in Bangkok in search of refuge and portection from persecution in Pakistan but there also they face the similar kind of challenges of arrest and detentions. Jesuit Refugee Serivce reported on Janaury 18 that, “scaredcared and disorientated, the group, including many women and children, was bundled into police vans and driven to Bangkok’s immigration detention centre, where they were processed and sent to cour for violating Thailand’s strict immigration policy.

Under Thailand’s law refugees and asylum seekers in Thailand without a valid visa regardless of whether or not they are documented by UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) are considered ‘illegal entrants’ by the authorities. People who are persecuted at home and detened in Thailand are at the mercy of God, said a human rights activist in Bangkok. However, International Refugee Convention 1951 and its portocol is about portection to refugees, these people are still waiting for these laws and international community come and help them in these difficult circumstances.

According to recent reports, group of Ahmedis fled from Pakistan and ended up in Thailand is waiting desperately for UNHCR’s help which can recognise them as refugees and facilitate their resettlement to a third country they are forced to live in fear and with uncertainty.

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i have great threats from people who think ahmadis are non muslim and want to kill me. they called me several times from several numbers. ten years before they tried to kill me with axe. ihave medical report for this. police dont give me shelter. now they again want to kill me because they have support of some agencies who worked against ahmadias.